Animal Cruelty a Red Flag for Domestic Violence
People working in child abuse prevention have long argued that animal cruelty is an indication, and perhaps a precursor to, domestic abuse. The Journal of Interpersonal Violence recently published a study offering support for the belief that animal cruelty is at least a red flag for domestic violence. Researchers asked questions of college students, and found that 60% of the students who had experiences with animal cruelty also had experienced domestic violence. Retrospective studies have limitations, such as the likelihood of hindsight bias, but this study provides important data support for treating animal cruelty reports as red flags for possible domestic violence.
Youth-serving organizations should be alert for this link. If you see a child who exhibits signs of cruelty toward animals, you should be alert for other signs that the child has been abused. In the civil litigation arena, lawyers and experts should be aware of this link, and should investigate domestic violence as a possible cause of anxiety symptoms.
